Jerry Goldsmith
Jerrald King Goldsmith, known as Jerry Goldsmith, was born on February 10, 1929, in Los Angeles, California. He was the son of Tessa, a school teacher, and Morris Goldsmith, a structural engineer. All his grandparents were Jewish immigrants from Austria-Hungary and Romania. Goldsmith began playing piano at age six and pursued serious music studies by the age of eleven. He studied piano with Jakob Gimpel and later composition with Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco. Inspired by Miklós Rózsa's score for the film Spellbound, Goldsmith decided to pursue a career in music.
Goldsmith attended the University of Southern California briefly before transferring to Los Angeles City College, where he gained practical experience in music. In 1950, he began working at CBS as a clerk typist and soon progressed to writing scores for radio shows. His career in television scoring took off with live TV shows like Climax and Playhouse 90, and he composed for the cult series The Twilight Zone.
Goldsmith's film scoring career began with the 1957 western Black Patch. He became known for his innovative and influential compositions, scoring over 200 productions, including five films in the Star Trek franchise and three in the Rambo franchise. His notable film scores include Logan's Run, Planet of the Apes, Chinatown, The Omen, Alien, and Total Recall. Goldsmith also composed the fanfare for the Universal Pictures logo.
Throughout his career, Goldsmith was nominated for eighteen Academy Awards, winning one for The Omen in 1977. He also received nominations for Grammy Awards, Primetime Emmy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, and British Academy Film Awards. Goldsmith passed away on July 21, 2004, in Beverly Hills, California, leaving behind a legacy as one of the most innovative composers in film music history.
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